A silly, charming story of friendship and bravery that provides plenty of giggles for early readers.
In Jussawalla’s children’s book, three animal friends leave the safety of their farm and find themselves in the big city.
Nugget the chicken wakes up ready for an adventure, but no other farm animals want to join in, aside from Noodles the lamb and Rib the pig. When they see Farmer Joe driving past in his truck, the trio hop in the back and soon discover their mystery destination: the big city. They jump out of the truck and into the crowded streets, immediately getting separated. Nugget wanders into an office building, where she’s mistaken for a new employee and instructed to start immediately on an important presentation. Noodles rolls down a flight of stairs and winds up in the subway, where he accompanies a street musician. Rib enters a fancy restaurant and is asked by the chef to come back to the kitchen, where he’s put in charge of making minestrone soup. The friends eventually make their way back to each other and share tales of their exploits when they spot Farmer Joe’s truck passing by. They hop back on and head home, already dreaming of their next adventure. Saavi K’s illustrations are a delight, bursting with bright colors and bold lines depicting cartoonishly cute animals walking upright. The text appears in different fonts and colors to emphasize dialogue, taking on different shapes depending on the picture (sentences wind up and down to mimic the winding road that Farmer Joe drives down, for example). The dialogue can get a bit tiresome, only because it is almost always capitalized, making it seem as though everyone is yelling. But Jussawalla’s clever story offers up so many laugh-out-loud moments (“The elephant just stood there and stared. (No one knew why there was an elephant on the farm, but there it was”) that parents and children alike are sure to delight in the trio’s antics.
A silly, charming story of friendship and bravery that provides plenty of giggles for early readers.Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2025
ISBN: 9781038303103
Page Count: 44
Publisher: FriesenPress
Review Posted Online: Dec. 17, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.
If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
More fun antics to satisfy returning fans and snag new ones.
Not even the arrival of autumn can cool down this impetuous squirrel.
Although Squirrel is skeptical about Bird’s vegetable patch (“Nothing is HAPPENING!”), Bird does produce five (count them) lovely pumpkins. Squirrel picks out a favorite: “The enormous orange one.” Bird hints that Squirrel might want to help out; Squirrel sets out to fetch some work gloves and returns to find only four pumpkins. The frequently distracted Squirrel notices more gourds disappearing and leaps to the conclusion that a thief is near. And where’s Bird?! Has Squirrel’s pal also been taken? Diligently detecting, Squirrel finds clues—peck marks, footprints, and more—and produces a sketch of the suspect. As readers will guess, each clue turns out to point to one of Squirrel and Bird’s friends. Turns out Bird was delivering pumpkins to their pals while saving the big one to give to “my very best friend,” Squirrel. But why does Squirrel haul it up a tree? “So the Pumpkin Thief can’t find it, of course!” A page of pumpkin facts provides the learning component common to all titles in this series. Once more, readers will enjoy the pleasure of prediction and repetition, Squirrel’s silly persistence, Bird’s generosity, and the vibrant color illustrations, balancing orange with green.
More fun antics to satisfy returning fans and snag new ones. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: July 28, 2026
ISBN: 9781464268076
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2026
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